


my brain takes a vacation just to give my heart more room

by MayWilder



Series: the gift of you [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bisexual Peter Parker, Coming Out, Gen, Harley wakes the beast, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper and May are Mom, Save Me, also the cheese, bisexual awakening, but also Pepper is a mom, i just love them okay, this is so fucking cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 16:18:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18814519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayWilder/pseuds/MayWilder
Summary: “Mr. Stark…when I came back, and you were waiting on Titan—do you remember what you said?”“I do.” Tony’s hands on his shoulders get just that much tighter. They don't talk about Titan. “I told you that I loved you, and I was sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”“And you mean that?” Peter asks. He knows Tony isn’t like other men his age, that he’s accepting and loving and always looking ahead, but there’s a little bit of the fear that comes with telling someone his age about sexuality. “You love me like a son?”Tony swallows. When he speaks, his voice is thick. “I do, Pete. You’re my kid, plain and simple.”That thought itself is terrifying, but Peter goes on. “And you would still choose me as your kid, even if…even if I was bi?”





	my brain takes a vacation just to give my heart more room

**Author's Note:**

> WHOA GUYS. The response on my last story has warmed my heart. I love you guys, and your kind words, and I just...don't even know what to say. Thank you so much for your encouragement! I was on bed rest for about a week, so I had nothing to do but write, so there's an influx of Peter Parker stories happening right.  
> This story takes place in the middle of "limits of my heart." I wanted to give it its own story, its own spotlight, and didn't feel like it would flow well because i really wanted to do it from Peter's POV
> 
> Also note: Peter's 'awakening' is written based on my personal experience; I know that everyone is different in their journey to understanding who they are. This is just one way.

Peter's bisexual awakening sits in Tony's lab. He's wearing tight leather pants, a dark blue t-shirt that hangs a little loosely on his frame, and is threading something into Peter's suit.

He doesn't know he's having a bisexual awakening at first. All he can process is that this boy is _extremely_ attractive. Peter recalls marble sculptures in the Met of gods like Apollo, lean and sculpted. Their jaws are sharp, and their curls unruly, just like the boy in the lab who looks up and suddenly green eyes are the only thing that matters.

"Hey," the guy says, smiling slightly. "Peter, right?"

Peter nods.

"I'm Harley," he continues. The boy seems to finish his work, putting the needle away and folding the suit while Peter watches with nothing substantial to say. "Friend of Tony's."

"You're working on Spider-Man's suit," Peter manages to squeak. "You have to have pretty high clearance for that."

"I've known Tony a long time."

"Right." Peter doesn't have anything else that's interesting. He’s just standing there, watching Harley smirk at him and barely registering the country music playing in the background. It's like all sense has left him. The most productive thing he can do is focus on the collarbone that's visible because of the position of the other boys V-neck. It's quite distracting.

"You alright there, darlin'?" Harley asks gently. He looks a cross between amused and concerned as he stands from the work bench. The motion makes his body roll _just so_ and Peter's mind goes blank.

 _I'm straight_ , he tells himself, hands starting to sweat. _I'm straight. Right?_

As Harley walks closer, Peter begins to fully panic. He needs to leave now. "Um, Mr. Stark told me that you're part of the reason the whole time travel stuff worked? I just wanted to say thank you. Since, you know, that means you helped save lives. Tony says your nano-tech work really changed things up."

"'Course," Harley shrugs. Peter wonders where exactly the boy comes from to have that particular twang and tries to ignore how it makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up. "Tony wasn't the only one who lost family when Thanos snapped the universe."

"I'm not family, exactly—

"Yeah, right," Harley snorts. "You forgot that I've spent the past six months with Tony on this project. He definitely loves you, Peter."

Peter swallows thickly, pushing down the memories of Titan.

"Anyways," Harley claps his hands together and reaches for a leather jacket because _of course he wears a leather jacket_. "I've got to head back home, never let my sister out of sight again, and all that. It was nice meeting you, Peter. I hope we see each other again soon."

He offers a hand, which Peter takes. The touch, a calloused hand with a little grease stain on the knuckles, makes the young superhero weak in the knees and he doesn't understand why his mouth is watering?

_Jesus Christ, it's like I've never been attracted to a human being before. But then…I’ve never been attracted to a boy before._

Harley crosses in front of them, their chests just barely brushing with the both of them in the door frame, and Peter thinks he’s been electrocuted.

 _Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck_.

**)-(**

Peter doesn’t really have much alone time anymore. Thus, the only time he’s able to sit and attempt to process his reaction to one Harley Keener is at night, when he’s alone in his bed and decidedly _not_ trying to think about tight leather pants and a southern accent. He uses old tricks to fall asleep quickly, ones he learned when dealing with the grief of Uncle Ben.

This leaves him with random thoughts appearing throughout the day and really struggling to control them.

 _Is that why I like Thor so much?_ He thinks one day, sitting with May and Pepper while they pick the colors for tapestry or something. _Is it more than hero worship?_

He takes a moment to really think, focusing on the thought of Thor’s gruff voice, of the motion he makes when he swings the hammer, the thrill that runs down his spine when the lightning sparks in his eyes—

Peter covers his face and lets out a moan. _Oh my god, am I gay?_

“Peter?” May says slowly, snapping his from his thoughts. “Are you okay?”

“I’m having an existential crisis.” He sinks further into the couch cushions. "Leave me to die in my misery."

“Okay,” Pepper chirps. “Do you have time for dinner to interrupt your crisis and death?”

Peter thinks about it.

“Yes I do.”

“Awesome,” May pulls out her phone. “I’m ordering Thai.”

Peter watches the two women for a moment. May is tapping out an order on her phone from one end of the couch, leaning over the edge and towards the chair so that Pepper can show her what she wants. He wonders at them: May who has always been May, fierce protector and loving provider, compared to Pepper’s arrival of supporter and tutor and casual loving presence. Its odd that they’re so different, yet have kind of morphed into one being in Peter’s life.

_Mom._

When Peter stepped off the starship, having already reunited with Tony, he found the two of them waiting. May had predictably been the first one to have hands on him, crying and touching his face and refusing to let go as she rocked back and forth. By the time she had finally let go, it was to turn towards Pepper, who fell to the ground just as quickly as May had and threw her arms around Peter so tightly he would have stopped breathing if he was anyone else.

 _We love you_ , they had said, kissing his face and running fingers through his hair. _We’re so proud of you, we love you so much._

Since then, they’ve been like one, both constantly aware of Peter’s whereabouts and sometimes overly attentive. May has never been Mom on her own, just…May. Pepper adds something different, fleshes out the role. _They_ are Mom.

And mothers are supposed to love their children unconditionally, right?

Well.

_Here goes._

“Could I…talk to you guys about something?” he asks lamely. His hands twist together. “If you have a moment to stop wedding planning? I don’t to interrupt or anything.”

Pepper sets aside her binder. “Of course, Peter, you come first.”

“Always,” May agrees. She sets down her phone and turns toward her nephew. “What’s happening, baby?”

“I met Harley,” he says slowly. “A couple weeks ago, in Tony’s lab.”

“Yes, he mentioned,” Pepper nods. “Did he say something? Harley as a tendency to confuse people with when he first meets them—

Peter waves his hands. “No, no, nothing like that. It’s something else. I’ve never really thought about it, or considered it, but when I saw him, there was this weird…like, charge, that I felt? I couldn’t stop thinking about how attractive he was, and I got all nervous, and a little sweaty, and I froze up. And now that he’s gone, I randomly think about him and his pants and his accent and—” Peter cuts himself off, feeling his cheeks redden as he looks down.

“You’ve had a crush before, kiddo.” When May speaks, her voice is low and gentle. “That’s completely normal.”

“Yeah, but not for someone who doesn’t like guys.”

They both seem to understand immediately. May reaches a hand forward to rest on Peter’s knee while Pepper crosses her legs in her lap and smiles softly. They’re doing it again, being Mom, and the comfort is enough to bring tears to his eyes.

“It’s not like I think its wrong or I’m scared of what people will think,” he whispers. “It’s just confusing. I’ve never thought about it before, never considered guys an option, but when I saw him…its like my brain stopped working.”

Pepper leans forward. “I know you said you aren’t scared of what people will think, but I want to be very clear about something. We love you, more than anything, and we accept whoever it is you choose to be. Do you understand that?”

Peter nods, a tear spilling over.

“Good. Second, you do not have to decide anything,” she continues. “There is no time limit, nobody to answer to, and no reason you have to pick a label. Me personally? I like labels. Labels gave me comfort when I realized I was bisexual. But if you don’t want them, you don’t have to have them.”

“And what if it’s just Harley? What if there aren’t other boys? Does that still mean I’m bisexual?”

“I can’t answer that,” May says with a shrug. “You’re the only one who can. And as a straight person, I’m not sure I can help much. I do think, though, that if you look at yourself and your reactions to other people, you might have your answer.”

“Thor?”

She smiles. “Thor.”

“I guess I’ve just not paid as much attention?” Peter says. “Because Thor is objectively very attractive, but I guess it doesn’t explain why I can’t look him in the eye. Or feel my tongue when he talks to me.”

Pepper comes to kneel before him, taking the free hand May hasn’t grabbed. Together, they sit with him and let him talk through his feelings, the order of Thai food forgotten next to the list of tapestry colors. They focus on him, assure him he’s loved, and offer whatever he needs.

He loves his Moms.

**)-(**

When he decides to talk to Tony, they’re getting fitted for their tuxes with Rhodey. There’s a moment where Rhodey steps out to take a phone call and Tony is standing behind Peter, attempting to instruct him on correctly executing the Windsor knot.

“You’re a mathematical genius,” Tony chuckles. “You make your own web fluid, you build Avengers and Stark Industries tech, and you research gamma radiation for fun.”

“And yet.”

“And yet, indeed.” Tony wraps his arms around Peter’s shoulders, holding the two sides of the tie. “Now, let’s try again. Wide end over small end.”

“Up into the neck loop from underneath,” Peter continues, moving his hand how he thinks he’s supposed to. Tony nods and moves his own hands to rest on Peter’s shoulders while he lets the younger man take the lead. “Down to the r-no, left.”

“Good.”

“Up to the center, towards neck loop. Then I go through the neck loop and down to the…right?”

“Yes, keep going.”

“Across the front to the left, up into the neck loop from underneath. Then it’s just down through the new loop, and…”

“Tighten by pulling down on the wide end, sliding the knot up,” Tony finishes. Peter nods and obeys, sliding the knot into place and glancing in the mirror for approval. “That’s exactly right, kid. It’s a little sloppy, but we’ll get you there by the wedding.”

“That’s in two weeks.”

“It’s summer break, what else do you have to do?”

“Hang out with people my own age?”

“I’m offended. You wouldn’t rather hang out with your old man?”

Peter laughs, shaking his head. He takes in the image of Tony behind him, smiling proudly and calling himself Peter’s old man as if it’s a simple fact and not one of the most important phrases he could ever utter. “Mr. Stark…when I came back, and you were waiting on Titan—do you remember what you said?”

“I do.” Tony’s hands on his shoulders get just that much tighter. They don't talk about Titan. “I told you that I loved you, and I was sorry I didn’t say it sooner.”

“And you mean that?” Peter asks. He knows Tony isn’t like other men his age, that he’s accepting and loving and always looking ahead, but there’s a little bit of the fear that comes with telling someone his age about sexuality. “You love me like a son?”

Tony swallows. When he speaks, his voice is thick. “I do, Pete. You’re my kid, plain and simple.”

That thought itself is terrifying, but Peter goes on. “And you would still choose me as your kid, even if…even if I was bi?”

Tony’s expression is hard to read. There’s something tentative in his mouth as he goes to speak before stopping himself, yet he looks like he’s about to deliver a speech. He squeezes Peter’s shoulders one more time and then turns him around so they’re no longer looking at each other in the mirror. “Let me be very clear about something, Peter. There is nothing in this world you could do that would make me not choose you, okay? I love you. You are my kid. Nothing will change that. Especially not something like your sexuality.”

Peter feels his lip tremble. “Okay.”

“I guess you’ve only ever known me with Pepper?” Tony continues. He’s starting to smile now. “I personally would call myself pan, because I’ve never needed gender to matter. But I understand the confusion that first comes with it. Pete, my father was a Grade-A asshole. He didn’t like my tendency to keep male company, and I hated him for it. I never want you to think there’s some part of your identity or personality that I don’t absolutely love.”

Peter wipes at his eyes with shaking hands, nodding. “I love you too, Mr. Stark.”

“Kid. At this point, I think you can call me Tony.”

**)-(**

That night, family dinner is loud. Pepper looks between Tony and May passionately arguing about wine in Italian (which is apparently the most Italian thing you can do) while Rhodey takes videos to hold for blackmail later. The whole affair feels ridiculous, but warm and safe, and Peter wonders how he ended up with people who love him, who support him, and who now know all of him. There are no barriers, there is no blood.

But there is _love._

**Author's Note:**

> i'm maywildflowers on tumblr. Hit me up for a trash can of my faves.


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